Citizenship by investment has a Caribbean history, but Argentina's proposal uses a different combination of contributions, public debt, and government review. A programme's founding year does not establish its current price or preserve the travel rights its passport once carried.
1984 and 1993: the Caribbean starting point
The St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit dates its programme to 1984 and describes it as the first citizenship programme of its kind. That is the administering authority's account of the programme's origin. Its current site lists a contribution route, approved developer property, private real estate, and public-benefit investment. These are separate qualifying routes, not a general permission to buy any property and receive citizenship.
Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment Unit dates its programme to 1993. Its Economic Diversification Fund route directs a non-refundable contribution toward government development projects. A qualifying property route is also available. This distinction between a contribution and an asset purchase remains central to comparing costs: one spends capital, while the other may retain an asset subject to programme conditions and market risk.
2013 to 2015: additional Caribbean legal frameworks
Antigua and Barbuda’s official legislation page lists the Citizenship by Investment Act 2013 and subsequent regulations. The page contains inconsistent references to 2013 and 2014 instruments, so those years should not be reduced to a single precise launch date without checking the underlying enactments. What the official account does establish is a statutory programme, background checks, and several qualifying investment choices.
Grenada’s Investment Migration Agency identifies the Grenada Citizenship by Investment Act 2013 as its legal framework and dates the agency's establishment to February 2014. Legislation and the start of an administering body are different milestones. The programme's official application guidance places final approval with the Minister of Citizenship after due diligence and a recommendation.
Saint Lucia’s legislation index lists the Citizenship by Investment Act No. 14 of 2015 and the Citizenship by Investment Saint Lucia Regulations S.I. 89 of 2015, followed by later amendments. The framework's dates do not establish when intake opened. Readers comparing a present application should consult the latest fee and investment guidance rather than assume the founding legislation still contains the current amounts.
2016 and 2018: Türkiye's exceptional naturalisation route
The Turkish Investment Office’s guidance traces the addition of an investment-related category in Article 12 of Law No. 5901 to July 28, 2016. It also identifies regulations published on September 18, 2018 as a milestone in the investment criteria. Those historical dates do not date every threshold printed on the current page.
The current guidance gives a property threshold of US$400,000 and a restriction on resale for at least three years. It also lists several US$500,000 capital-based alternatives. Eligibility remains subject to the President's decision. Property ownership, a residence permission, and citizenship each have their own legal step; a purchase contract alone does not complete that sequence.
2019 and 2020: Egypt establishes a Cabinet-administered framework
The Egyptian Cabinet citizenship unit identifies Law No. 140 of 2019 as allowing the Prime Minister to grant nationality through qualifying property, investment projects, direct Treasury revenue, or a cash deposit. It identifies Prime Ministerial Decision No. 647 of 2020 as establishing the unit that examines naturalisation applications and the related submission procedures.
The unit's present contribution page describes a US$250,000 Treasury grant that, when fully paid, is not returned. Instalments are allowed over no more than one year. On payment default or withdrawal of the application, paid instalments are refunded in Egyptian pounds at the Central Bank rate on the refund date, capped at the payment-date rate, without interest. Its main page also lists property, a business project, and a deposit route. The existence of these choices should not be read as automatic approval once an applicant transfers the stated amount.
2022 and 2024: Vanuatu shows that travel access can change
The Council of the European Union’s December 12, 2024 decision announcement says Vanuatu had operated investor citizenship schemes since May 25, 2015. It records that the EU visa exemption was suspended in 2022, then that the Council decided in December 2024 to remove Vanuatu from the exempt list because of security and migration concerns associated with the scheme.
This milestone concerns a destination's visa policy, not the cancellation of Vanuatu's citizenship programme. A government can continue granting its nationality while another jurisdiction changes entry requirements for those nationals. A historical passport-access claim therefore needs its own current destination-country check.
2025: Argentina writes an investment category and procedure into decrees
Decreto DNU 366/2025, Disposiciones, signed on May 28 and published on May 29, 2025, amended the Citizenship Law No. 346. Articles 37 and 38 describe naturalisation through a relevant investment regardless of residence duration and leave the definition of a relevant investment to the Ministry of Economy. Article 40 creates the investment citizenship agency.
Decreto 524/2025, Disposiciones, signed on July 30 and published on July 31, sets out an agency evaluation, checks by other bodies, and a recommendation to the National Migration Directorate. The directorate must grant or reject the request by a reasoned decision. These texts establish the executive framework; neither supplies a dollar threshold or an applicant fee schedule.
The decree's period of 30 working days applies after Migraciones receives the agency report. It does not promise completion of investment verification, security checks, and the entire application in that period.
2026: announced Argentine amounts, with intake still described prospectively
The Ministry of Economy’s October 2, 2026 programme announcement proposes a non-refundable US$350,000 Treasury contribution or subscription to a US$800,000 public bond. It says the programme will receive applications during the fourth quarter of 2026.
An announcement of intended intake and prices should not be treated as proof that a particular applicant can file today. The decrees still require a relevant-investment assessment and government decision. The framework's enforceability in litigation and the availability of all implementing instruments require confirmation before an application.
The ministry’s proposed contribution and bond commit different amounts of capital, and other programmes use still different fee structures. Additional fees and household eligibility can change the total cost. See the Argentina citizenship-by-investment cost comparison.
